PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — With Antonio Brown out for Monday night’s game against visiting Kansas City (1-7), and, unfortunately, perhaps longer, head coach Mike Tomlin has given the “next man up” nod to backup receiver Jerricho Cotchery not just on offense, but on special teams too.

“Early in my career, I did kickoff returns, but I wasn’t heavy. I did punt returns…it wasn’t my specialty, but I’m always willing to go in there. If you can make plays, you can make plays,” Cotchery told 93.7 The Fan’s Jim Colony.

Emmanuel Sanders will reportedly return punts in lieu of Brown, putting Cotchery behind Sanders on that part of the depth chart. He was used often as a return specialist by the Jets in 2005, and again in 2009. Over his career he has averaged nine yards per punt return, and over 25 yards per kick return.

Cotchery, who has eight catches for 92 yards in limited duty this season, spoke further about stepping in for the injured team MVP: